Directions: your group is responsible for compiling and creating responses to all sections and will be graded on the completeness and accuracy of the information provided. In addition, your response must include material covered in class, not information "cut and pasted" from on-line study guides. Assignment is worth 100 points. Remember, you are helping your classmates by providing a complete response.
1) Plot Summary (no more than 250 words please): Grendel is a story of an animal who is regarded as a monster. He is deprived from living within the human society and is forced to live inside a cave with his mother and other monster like creatures, banished from human life. Because it is a prequel to Beowulf, it traces the life of Grendel who terrorizes Hrothgars people and continues to kill a number of them with no mercy. The book follows the protagonist through his quest for revenge and describe the obstacles he must face to attain it. Many forms of symbolism and literary techniques are used to accomplish this as well. John Gardner, the author, portrays Grendel as having two personlities: One as a ruthless beast annhilating everything in its way and one with a personality that accepts religion and forms complex perspectives such as that of an existentialist. Grendel also quesions certain things he does not understand such as daily habits of humans and forms opinons based on them.
2) Major Characters, Description, and Relationships:
Grendel: The main characer, narrator, mythic hero in the novel. The story of Beowulf is retold through Grendel's prespective, in first person. He is portrayed as an outcast to human society and therefore seaches for his identity and meaning in life. He accepts images of what other people perceive of him (dragon, shaper, priest) until he finds himself and understands that "he only exists." He is also fascinated/ repulsed by the human beings and observes them constantly.
Shaper: He is viewed as the "artistic ideal" as he is able to give a sense of destiny and nobility to the village. His theories allow the village to prosper into vast city-states. He has created meaning and order that everyone accepts including Grendel.
Beowulf: He is portrayed as the unsympathetic character. He wants to kill Grendel to bring a "new age" to the people, but Grendel wants to maintain his order in the village. People have faith in Beowulf that he will kill Grendel and finally end his control over their kingdom.
Wealtheow: The wife of Hrothgar an the queen of Danes. She is married off to him to keep order in his kingdom. She is able to maintain peace and balance from the enemies.
Unferth: He considered himself to have the herioc ideals to defeat Grendel, but his battle with him consisted of nothing more than apples. He was defeated, humiliated, and mocked by Grendel and as a result was never content for the rest of his life unless he had another chance to fight a great battle or die couragesly.
Hrothgar: He is the king of Danes. Grendel cannot attack him because as king, he is protected by God.
Hrothulf: He is the orphaned nephew of Hrothgar who comes to live with him. He schemes of possible ways of ruling his empire and therefore causes an imbalance in Wealtheow's order.
Dragon: He is viewed as one of Grendel's mentors. Grendel visits him to seek more knowledge of his identity what his purpose is in life. The dragon explains to him how he is the cause to which humans are driven to "think and scheme."
Priest (Ork): An old, blind priest who sees Grendel as the "Great Destroyer"
Grendel's mother: The only person in the family that Grendel has ever known. She is unable to speak any language and is protrayed as having a foul smell, but is protective of her son.
3) Literary Terms discussed in class (including a brief definition and how they relate to the text): Forms:
Style- Expression by choice of words, grammatical structures, use of literary devices, and all the possible parts of language. Gardner’s use of language in the novel such as his choice of words and use of metaphors personify Grendel as a character. Syntax- The ordering of words into meaningful verbal patterns such as phrases, clauses, and sentences. Gardner’s repeated use of words or the way they fall in order help describe the thoughts of both Gardner as a writer to show his style but also better show the thoughts of Grendel by writing in a way as if the monster is thinking to himself. Allegory- A narration or description usually restricted to a single meaning. Grendel is an allegory as it focuses on the idea of searching for purpose in life and ideals such as existentialism. Fable- A succinct story, in prose or verse, that features animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature which human qualities, and illustrates a moral lesson. The whole story is focused on a beast with human like thoughts and even the same language and goes through his life with the issue of trying to understand the purpose in life and how it might never be found in life. Genre- Kind or type of literature such as poetry, fiction, drama, and essays. Grendel would be a contemporary fiction of a early epic of English literature. Prose- Prose is an unpretentious form of writing, which is often articulated, in free form writing style. Gardner uses prose in the novel to express the free speech and thoughts of Grendel’s thoughts. Verse- A generic term used to describe poetic lines composed in a measured rhythmical pattern, often, but not necessarily, rhymed. Gardner uses verses in the novel such as when the Shaper tells his tale of human society and heroic stores.
Irony:
Situational- when something happens that is opposite of what is expected. Grendel allows Unferth to live instead of killing him. Verbal- something said that often means the opposite of what it usually means such as sarcasm. Grendel mocks Unferth as the Sidewalker and not a true hero. Dramatic- creates a discrepancy between what a character believes or says and what the reader or audience member knows to be true Cosmic- occurs when a writer uses God, destiny, or fate to dash the hopes and expectations of a character or of humankind in general. Unferth believes its his destiny to die a hero against hero but Grendel goes against him and embarrasses him as fool.
Point of View:
Point of View-Perspective that the story is told. Grendel tells the tale from his perspective. First Person- Perspective of “I”. Gardner uses first person as he has Grendel say I throughout the tale. Unreliable narrator- First person narrative but you cant believe everything they say if you know they are naïve or biased. Third Person- He, she, they are telling the story Third person omniscient (unlimited)- can go into the mind of all the characters Third person limited- can only go into the mind of several of the characters Third person objective- No thoughts of any characters.
4) How has the writer created meaning? In other words, what choices has he/she made in plot structure, point of view, character, setting, tone, style and/or symbol in order to convey meaning?: Gardner creates meaning in his work by combining all forms of literary techniques such as symbolism, discussing the importance of religion, forms of irony, existentialism, solopism and the meaning of the 12 years of war that correlate with the 12 astrological cycles. Symbolism plays an important role in creating meaning in Grendel by discussing objects or actions that denote certain events. These actions highlight the purpose of Grendel's existence and his purpose for creating terror towards Hrothgars people. For example, Gardner explains the significance of the bull by saying how it resembles the chaotic and "unthinking" nature of the world. In addition, the bull is the cause for Grendels actions to eradicate that continuous pattern and symmetr; It also makes Grendel realize how "forces" outside of his cave follow a routine pattern and are predictable.
It is at this point in the book that the reader gets a sense of how Grendel thinks and how he forms opinions of human life. The plot structure follows in an astrological cycle; each chapter denotes one chapter. The reason for this is because each astrological sign explains the actions of the characters in that certain chapter. The underlying meaning that the author tries to show how Grendel evolves throughout each chapter and highlights his growth in maturity and understanding of the human world. According to Stromme, the astrological cycles "gives you nice easy clues" as to how the actions of Grendel correlate with the significance of each cycle. For instance, in chapter 2, it represents the idea of Love. it symbolizes the main reasons for Grendel's isolation and insanity. Also, because he receives no love from anyone, and his mother is almost"non-existent", he goes on a murderous rampage on human beings.
In addition, to astrological cycles, religion conveys meaning in the work by determining a place in society for Grendel. From reading the text, the author creates meaing in the text by portraying Grendel and his actions as that of Satan. This perspective can later be supported in the story when Grendel spreads terror and feels no mercy for any of Hrothgar's people. Later on however, his character and beliefs develop in that he beings to understand what the humans worship and what they believe in. At on point, it is as thought Grendel finds it ironic that the priests preach their views on god by praying and such, however, when they see Ork praying for the "Great Destroyer" he is mocked and made fun. Grendel sees this as ironic and unrealistic and forms the opinion that humans are fickle and do not believe in one single higher being.
Gardner also reflects meaning in the work by introducing the concept of existentialism and solopism. The latter focuses on the idea of isolation and that nothing else exists but oneself and ones conscience, while the former highlights the idea of confusion, absurdity and chaos in the world. Also, it focuses on finding ones place in society and discovering their purpose in life; an existentialist does not accept what is normal in the world, but rather challenges that notion. Gardner creates meaning in his work by incorporating all of these elements and thoroughly explaining their significance to the text. At the end of the text, according to Gardners work, it can be proven that "the virtues of individuality and meaning triumph over meaningless violence and destruction". This quote sums up the purpose of Gardners reason for highlighting the idea of individualism and that only "my conscience and I" exist and nothing else.
5) Themes/Motifs(at least 4):
Ridiculous Human Values - Grendel really bashes on how ridiculous human values are. He sees them as fickle and completely unimportant. He scoffs at Unferth's heroic ideals and even goes on to mock and completely destroy those ideals. Grendel also cannot understand human government and religion. He cannot grasp believing so strongly in something that cannot be seen nor touched. It baffles him and he struggles with the belief of human values.
Power of Language - Throughout the book, Grendel comments on the power that language held in man's society. He notes how the Shaper's words are able to lift the mood in Hrothgar's hall. In addition, he notices that the Shaper is able to fabricate a vastly different view of the world which is built not on cold facts but on the beauty and grandiosity of the Shaper's words. Also, Grendel sees the prestige that certain titles hold, such as "king" and "champion of meadhalls."
Isolation/Alienation - Grendel struggles with his loneliness throughout the entire story. He often longingly looks out upon Hrothgar's city and even watches what goes in the meadhall sometimes. At the beginning, he even attempted to join them but only to be greeted with sharp words and steel. However, at the same time, Grendel is extremely angry at humans for alienating him. He often envisions himself desecrating Hrothgar's city. But also, he does not understand the reason for such alienation because as Grendel notes, they speak the same language and thus must be "incredibly, related" (Gardner 36).
Contradictory Nature of Humans - The nature of humanity, as Grendel often comments, is contradictory and hypocritical. Grendel sees the contradictions in humanity's actions. For example, humans claim to be virtuous and peaceful and yet there is so much mindless killing and savagery between humans. Another example is that humans claim to be honest and truthful and yet the Shaper is so quick to twist their words and their perceptions to create a grander view of their deeds. All of these contradictions serve to confuse Grendel even more as he strives to understand humans.
Insignificance of Everything - In his lengthy discussion with the dragon, the dragon defers upon Grendel a unique way of thinking. This is that everything is essentially meaningless because everything everything comes and goes. He also says that everything is set in stone so there is no point in doing otherwise or trying to prevent something because you are merely doing what was already laid out. Grendel seems to adopt this philosophy as he does not give too much importance nor does he ever forsee or even consider the consequences of his actions.
Interdependency of the World - Grendel comes to understand that everything is dependent upon everything else. The most obvious example for this would be that Hrothgar' society is dependent upon Grendel and vice versa. In this relationship, they give each other not only purpose but they also improve each other. Grendel gives Hrothgar's society the purpose of survival and defeating him through the betterment of themselves in the arts and sciences. Hrothgar's society gives Grendel the purpose of destruction through his increasing hatred and at the same time, understanding of their society.
6) Quotes from the text that capture major themes (at least 3): “When he finished, the hall was as quiet as a mound. I too was silent, my ear pressed tight against the timbers. Even to me, incredibly, he had made it all seem true and very fine.” (Gardner 43).
""Things come and go," he said. "That's the gist of it. In a billion billion billion years, everything will have come and gone several times, in various forms. Even I will be gone. A certain man will absurdly kill me. A terrible pity—loss of a remarkable form of life. Conservationists will howl.” He chuckled. “Meaningless, however.”” (Gardner 70).
“The state is an organization of violence, a monopoly in what it is pleased to call legitimate violence. Revolution, my dear prince, is not the substitution of immoral for moral, or of illegitimate for legitimate violence; it is simply the pitting of power against power, where the issue I freedom for the winners and enslavement of the rest” (Gardner 119).
““So all us must sooner or later pass,” I am tempted to whisper. “Alas! Woe!”” (Gardner 145).
“I think of the pastness of the past: how the moment I am alive in, prisoned in, moves like a slowly tumbling form through darkness, the underground river. Not only ancient history—the mythical age of the brothers’ feud—but my own history one second ago, has vanished utterly, dropped out of existence” (Gardner 146).
“I stepped on something fleshy, and jerked away. It was a man. They’d cut his throat. His clothes had been stolen. I stared up a t the hall, baffled, beginning to shake” (Gardner 50).
7) Interpretive Questions (at least 3):
Why is Grendel intrigued by the changes occurring in human society?
Why does Grendel view Wealtheow and his mother as always having "goodness" within them?
Why does the building of the meadhall make Grendel so unsatisfied?
Why has Grendel suddenly become "alive" in the presence of Beowulf?
8) Historical/Social/Philosophical Influences on text (include relevant author biography if discussed):
The author of Grendel was John Gardner who studied Anglo-Saxon and creative writing at Oberlin Chico State College. Grendel is heavily influenced by the epic tale of Beowulf as the whole story is based on that but just told from the perspective of the monster instead of the hero. Therefore it gives us another perspective of the heroic values of the Anglo Saxons and how an outsider would look upon how they displayed their culture through wars, diplomacy and their mead hall parties.The social influences of the Anglo Saxons are highlighted throughout the text and is reflected through their culture. Some examples of where their cultureal values influence the events in the text is when their mead hall parties and excessive drinking led to their demise; they were too influnced by the alcohol to effectively fight off Grendel. This only empowered him even more and encourage him to continue his attacks.
Not only that but also this novel is a contemporary fiction and brings into play a lot of contemporary ideals about life especially the existence of life. He uses the philosophies of existentialism, nihilism and other philosophies and applies them to the mind of Grendel and discusses them and how as people we are all searching for a purpose.
1) Plot Summary (no more than 250 words please):
Grendel is a story of an animal who is regarded as a monster. He is deprived from living within the human society and is forced to live inside a cave with his mother and other monster like creatures, banished from human life. Because it is a prequel to Beowulf, it traces the life of Grendel who terrorizes Hrothgars people and continues to kill a number of them with no mercy. The book follows the protagonist through his quest for revenge and describe the obstacles he must face to attain it. Many forms of symbolism and literary techniques are used to accomplish this as well. John Gardner, the author, portrays Grendel as having two personlities: One as a ruthless beast annhilating everything in its way and one with a personality that accepts religion and forms complex perspectives such as that of an existentialist. Grendel also quesions certain things he does not understand such as daily habits of humans and forms opinons based on them.
2) Major Characters, Description, and Relationships:
3) Literary Terms discussed in class (including a brief definition and how they relate to the text):
Forms:
Style- Expression by choice of words, grammatical structures, use of literary devices, and all the possible parts of language. Gardner’s use of language in the novel such as his choice of words and use of metaphors personify Grendel as a character.
Syntax- The ordering of words into meaningful verbal patterns such as phrases, clauses, and sentences. Gardner’s repeated use of words or the way they fall in order help describe the thoughts of both Gardner as a writer to show his style but also better show the thoughts of Grendel by writing in a way as if the monster is thinking to himself.
Allegory- A narration or description usually restricted to a single meaning. Grendel is an allegory as it focuses on the idea of searching for purpose in life and ideals such as existentialism.
Fable- A succinct story, in prose or verse, that features animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature which human qualities, and illustrates a moral lesson. The whole story is focused on a beast with human like thoughts and even the same language and goes through his life with the issue of trying to understand the purpose in life and how it might never be found in life.
Genre- Kind or type of literature such as poetry, fiction, drama, and essays. Grendel would be a contemporary fiction of a early epic of English literature.
Prose- Prose is an unpretentious form of writing, which is often articulated, in free form writing style. Gardner uses prose in the novel to express the free speech and thoughts of Grendel’s thoughts.
Verse- A generic term used to describe poetic lines composed in a measured rhythmical pattern, often, but not necessarily, rhymed. Gardner uses verses in the novel such as when the Shaper tells his tale of human society and heroic stores.
Irony:
Situational- when something happens that is opposite of what is expected. Grendel allows Unferth to live instead of killing him.
Verbal- something said that often means the opposite of what it usually means such as sarcasm. Grendel mocks Unferth as the Sidewalker and not a true hero.
Dramatic- creates a discrepancy between what a character believes or says and what the reader or audience member knows to be true
Cosmic- occurs when a writer uses God, destiny, or fate to dash the hopes and expectations of a character or of humankind in general. Unferth believes its his destiny to die a hero against hero but Grendel goes against him and embarrasses him as fool.
Point of View:
Point of View-Perspective that the story is told. Grendel tells the tale from his perspective.
First Person- Perspective of “I”. Gardner uses first person as he has Grendel say I throughout the tale.
Unreliable narrator- First person narrative but you cant believe everything they say if you know they are naïve or biased.
Third Person- He, she, they are telling the story
Third person omniscient (unlimited)- can go into the mind of all the characters
Third person limited- can only go into the mind of several of the characters
Third person objective- No thoughts of any characters.
4) How has the writer created meaning? In other words, what choices has he/she made in plot structure, point of view, character, setting, tone, style and/or symbol in order to convey meaning?:
Gardner creates meaning in his work by combining all forms of literary techniques such as symbolism, discussing the importance of religion, forms of irony, existentialism, solopism and the meaning of the 12 years of war that correlate with the 12 astrological cycles. Symbolism plays an important role in creating meaning in Grendel by discussing objects or actions that denote certain events. These actions highlight the purpose of Grendel's existence and his purpose for creating terror towards Hrothgars people. For example, Gardner explains the significance of the bull by saying how it resembles the chaotic and "unthinking" nature of the world. In addition, the bull is the cause for Grendels actions to eradicate that continuous pattern and symmetr; It also makes Grendel realize how "forces" outside of his cave follow a routine pattern and are predictable.
It is at this point in the book that the reader gets a sense of how Grendel thinks and how he forms opinions of human life. The plot structure follows in an astrological cycle; each chapter denotes one chapter. The reason for this is because each astrological sign explains the actions of the characters in that certain chapter. The underlying meaning that the author tries to show how Grendel evolves throughout each chapter and highlights his growth in maturity and understanding of the human world. According to Stromme, the astrological cycles "gives you nice easy clues" as to how the actions of Grendel correlate with the significance of each cycle. For instance, in chapter 2, it represents the idea of Love. it symbolizes the main reasons for Grendel's isolation and insanity. Also, because he receives no love from anyone, and his mother is almost"non-existent", he goes on a murderous rampage on human beings.
In addition, to astrological cycles, religion conveys meaning in the work by determining a place in society for Grendel. From reading the text, the author creates meaing in the text by portraying Grendel and his actions as that of Satan. This perspective can later be supported in the story when Grendel spreads terror and feels no mercy for any of Hrothgar's people. Later on however, his character and beliefs develop in that he beings to understand what the humans worship and what they believe in. At on point, it is as thought Grendel finds it ironic that the priests preach their views on god by praying and such, however, when they see Ork praying for the "Great Destroyer" he is mocked and made fun. Grendel sees this as ironic and unrealistic and forms the opinion that humans are fickle and do not believe in one single higher being.
Gardner also reflects meaning in the work by introducing the concept of existentialism and solopism. The latter focuses on the idea of isolation and that nothing else exists but oneself and ones conscience, while the former highlights the idea of confusion, absurdity and chaos in the world. Also, it focuses on finding ones place in society and discovering their purpose in life; an existentialist does not accept what is normal in the world, but rather challenges that notion. Gardner creates meaning in his work by incorporating all of these elements and thoroughly explaining their significance to the text. At the end of the text, according to Gardners work, it can be proven that "the virtues of individuality and meaning triumph over meaningless violence and destruction". This quote sums up the purpose of Gardners reason for highlighting the idea of individualism and that only "my conscience and I" exist and nothing else.
5) Themes/Motifs(at least 4):
6) Quotes from the text that capture major themes (at least 3):
“When he finished, the hall was as quiet as a mound. I too was silent, my ear pressed tight against the timbers. Even to me, incredibly, he had made it all seem true and very fine.” (Gardner 43).
""Things come and go," he said. "That's the gist of it. In a billion billion billion years, everything will have come and gone several times, in various forms. Even I will be gone. A certain man will absurdly kill me. A terrible pity—loss of a remarkable form of life. Conservationists will howl.” He chuckled. “Meaningless, however.”” (Gardner 70).
“The state is an organization of violence, a monopoly in what it is pleased to call legitimate violence. Revolution, my dear prince, is not the substitution of immoral for moral, or of illegitimate for legitimate violence; it is simply the pitting of power against power, where the issue I freedom for the winners and enslavement of the rest” (Gardner 119).
““So all us must sooner or later pass,” I am tempted to whisper. “Alas! Woe!”” (Gardner 145).
“I think of the pastness of the past: how the moment I am alive in, prisoned in, moves like a slowly tumbling form through darkness, the underground river. Not only ancient history—the mythical age of the brothers’ feud—but my own history one second ago, has vanished utterly, dropped out of existence” (Gardner 146).
“I stepped on something fleshy, and jerked away. It was a man. They’d cut his throat. His clothes had been stolen. I stared up a t the hall, baffled, beginning to shake” (Gardner 50).
7) Interpretive Questions (at least 3):
8) Historical/Social/Philosophical Influences on text (include relevant author biography if discussed):
The author of Grendel was John Gardner who studied Anglo-Saxon and creative writing at Oberlin Chico State College. Grendel is heavily influenced by the epic tale of Beowulf as the whole story is based on that but just told from the perspective of the monster instead of the hero. Therefore it gives us another perspective of the heroic values of the Anglo Saxons and how an outsider would look upon how they displayed their culture through wars, diplomacy and their mead hall parties.The social influences of the Anglo Saxons are highlighted throughout the text and is reflected through their culture. Some examples of where their cultureal values influence the events in the text is when their mead hall parties and excessive drinking led to their demise; they were too influnced by the alcohol to effectively fight off Grendel. This only empowered him even more and encourage him to continue his attacks.
Not only that but also this novel is a contemporary fiction and brings into play a lot of contemporary ideals about life especially the existence of life. He uses the philosophies of existentialism, nihilism and other philosophies and applies them to the mind of Grendel and discusses them and how as people we are all searching for a purpose.